1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a component-orienting apparatus for aligning a plurality of rectangular-parallelopipedic components in the same orientation as with each other.
More specifically, the present invention can be applied to alignment of a plurality of rectangular-parallelopipedic electronic component chips in the same orientation as each other. Such alignment of the electronic component chips efficiently facilitates various operations that are performed on the electronic component chips in later steps.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing two electronic component chips 1, to which the present invention can be applied. Each of the electronic component chips 1 may be a capacitor chip or an inductor chip, for example. Such a chip 1 has dimensions L, W and T along longitudinal, crosswise and perpendicular directions which are orthogonal to each other. Within the dimensions L, W and T, the longitudinal dimension L has the longest size. The crosswise dimension W, which is smaller than the longitudinal dimension L, may be larger than or equal to the perpendicular dimension T. The chip 1 is provided with external terminal electrodes 2 and 3 on its longitudinal ends. However, the present invention is also applicable to an electronic component chip being in the state of the so-called partially-fabricated item, which is not yet provided with such external terminal electrodes, for example.
The present invention is directed to a component-orienting apparatus for aligning components such as the rectangular-parallelopipedic electronic component chips 1 shown in FIG. 8, each of which has a longitudinal dimension L longer than other dimensions W and T, in the same orientation as each other. The components to be aligned are so oriented that the same are longitudinally parallel with each other while crosswisely and perpendicularly defined surfaces thereof are along constant directions. FIG. 8 shows an adjacent pair of electronic component chips 1, within a large number of those aligned in such a state. Although longitudinally and crosswisely defined surfaces of the adjacent pair of electronic component chips 1 are opposite to each other in FIG. 8, the electronic component chips 1 may be so aligned that longitudinally and perpendicularly defined surfaces thereof are opposite to each other.
The aligned state of the electronic component chips 1 shown in FIG. 8 is required for carrying out steps shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, for example.
FIG. 9 shows a prior art component-orienting apparatus 4 which is employed in the plant of the assignee. The component-orienting apparatus 4 is in the form of a plate as a whole, for example, and arranged to be horizontally dispersed as a plane. The component orienting apparatus 4 is provided with a plurality of orienting passages 5. The sectional geometry of each orienting passage 5 is determined in consideration of the outer geometry of each electronic component chip 1, in order to receive the chip 1 along a predetermined direction and to orient the same in a predetermined direction. An electronic component chip holder 6, which is in the form of a plate as a whole, for example, is provided under the component-orienting apparatus 4. This holder 6 is not known in the art, but merely employed in the plant of the assignee. The electronic component chip holder 6 has a plurality of receiving portions 7, which are defined by through holes, for example. Positions of the respective receiving portions 7 correspond to those of the respective orienting passages 5. Elastic members 8 of silicone rubber, for example, are formed on inner peripheral surfaces of the receiving portions 7. The elastic members 8 are adapted to elastically hold the electronic component chips 1, as understood from the following description. The electronic component chip holder 6 is thus adapted to receive and hold the electronic component chips 1 one by one in the respective receiving portions 7, to enable simultaneous handling of a large number of electronic component chips 1, which may be too small for direct handling. In more concrete terms, the electronic component chips 1 are handled for (i) measuring various electrical properties in steps of testing the same, (ii) forming the external terminal electrodes 2 and 3, (iii) performing soldering on the external terminal electrodes 2 and 3, (iv) taping or magazinizing the electronic component chips 1, (v) mounting the electronic component chips 1, and the like.
Referring again to FIG. 9, a plurality of chips 1 are first placed at random on the component-orienting apparatus 4, to be inserted in the receiving portions 7 of the holder 6 respectively in the aforementioned manner. At this time, a frame member 9 may be employed to prevent dropping of the chips 1 from the component-orienting apparatus 4. Then, horizontal vibration, for example, is applied to the component-orienting apparatus 4, while supplying vacuum suction into the orienting passages 5 through the receiving portions 7 as shown by arrows 10.
Among the chips 1, only those oriented in a predetermined direction are received in the orienting passages 5 in response to the above operation, as shown in FIG. 10. After the chips 1 are filled in all of the orienting passages 5, those remaining atop the component orienting apparatus 4 are removed.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, a pusher 12 having projections 11 in positions corresponding to the orienting passages 5 is moved in the direction of an arrow 13 to this, the projections 11 press the respective chips 1, which in turn are pushed into corresponding ones of the receiving portions 7 of the holder 6. At this time, the elastic members 8 are elastically deformed for receiving the chips 1, to finally elastically hold the chips 1.
It is understood that the configuration of the orienting passages 5 in the aforementioned component orienting apparatus 4 is significant for efficiently aligning the electronic component chips 1. Thus, the configuration of such orienting passages 5 has been devised in various ways. Japanese Patent Publication Gazette No. 36630/1987 discloses an exemplary configuration of such orienting passages.
FIGS. 12 to 14 illustrate an orienting passage 5a, the configuration of which is substantially similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned prior art. This orienting passage 5a basically comprises a receiving portion 14 and an aligning portion 15. The receiving portion 14 is provided with an upwardly-opening first space 17, which is defined by an inverse-conical inner peripheral surface 16. The aligning portion 15 has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 19, which is rectangular in section, defining a second space 18 communicating with the lower end of the first space 17. The sectional geometry of the inner peripheral surface 19 is selected to reject a longitudinal dimension L of an electronic component chip 1 but crosswisely and perpendicularly orient the same in constant directions.
According to this prior art, the receiving portion 14 has the inverse-conical inner peripheral surface 16, to be capable of receiving the electronic component chip 1 regardless of the direction thereof. Thus, the electronic component chip 1 can be easily received in the first space 17 of the receiving portion 14.
However, the prior art shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 has the following problems to be solved:
First, it is rather difficult to introduce the electronic component chip 1, which is easily received in the receiving portion 14, sequentially into the aligning portion 15. One of the reasons for this may be that relatively sharp edges 20 and 21 are defined between the inner peripheral surface 16, which is circular in section, and the inner peripheral surface 19, which is rectangular in section. Thus, an electronic component chip 1, which is in a position shown by broken lines in FIG. 14, is undesirably engaged with the edge 20, for example, and prevented from insertion into the space 18 of the aligning portion 15.
In order to reduce the possibility of the aforementioned engagement between the chip 1 and the edge 20 or 21, the sectional dimensions of the inner peripheral surface 19 of the aligning portion 15 may be increased. In this case, however, the chip 1 cannot be accurately centered in the aligning portion 15.
Further, working steps for forming the inverse-conical inner peripheral surface 16 and the sectionally rectangular inner peripheral surface 19 are complicated. In general, the inverse-conical inner peripheral surface 16 is formed by drilling, while the inner peripheral surface 19, which is rectangular in section, is formed by broaching or electric-spark machining. In order to obtain the orienting passage 5a in a desired configuration, therefore, it is necessary to combine two types of working methods. Since such two types of working methods must be carried out in two steps, flashes are easily caused on the edges 20 and 21, which define the boundary between the receiving portion 14 and the aligning portion 15. Such flashes further hinder introduction of the chip 1 into the aligning portion 15, while after treatment for removing the flashes is extremely troublesome.